Frontiers
by CUtopia
Summary: Divided Germany!AU - Bill, Charlie and Fleur attempt to flee from the German Democratic Republic, but not all of them make it.


Entry for _Music History_ at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

 **Option 1:** Habanera from Carmen by George Bizet

Explanation: Carmen is about passion and drama, but also betrayal – I tried to bring that into the story, mainly focussing on the drama and the betrayal.

Entry for the _September Event: Back to School_

(word) Drama

(emotion) Exhausted

Entry for the _Greek Mythology Competition_

 **Jason:** Write about someone betraying someone they love

Entry for the _Gringotts Prompt Bank_

From 1949 to 1990, Germany was divided into the democratic West Germany and the communist East Germany (German Democratic Republic). In the night from the 12th to the 13th of August 1961, the GDR closed the border between the two states and started to build a wall.

This wall, with a deathzone attached, formed the nearly insuperable border. The craving for freedom made many people try and flee from the GDR, resulting in spectacular plans.

However, many failed and landed in prison, and countless people were killed during their flight attempt. To this day, it is unclear how many deaths the wall claimed, but estimated numbers talk about nearly 1,000.

A big thank you to the fabulous Dina, who betaed this for me! :)

(3500 Words)

* * *

 **Frontiers**

The night sky above the Elbe river and its banks was pitch black; not a single star showed itself on this cool September night in 1986, and it was a challenge to see your hand in front of your face. A light breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees that stood a few hundred meters away from the bank and moved the high reed by the water. Between those two places, a frightening installment winded through the landscape, a scar in the nature of a whole nation.

Anybody to try and overcome this border had very little chances of succeeding, and every single person who'd attempted to flee knew that, but their freedom was worth the risk. And some even gave their lives for this freedom.

Staring into the darkness, where a few searchlights were illuminating the death zone of the border, Fleur hoped that she wouldn't join the list of the nameless victims this night, and that her story wouldn't one day be told as a tragic drama.

She was cowering behind a bush, right at the edge of the forest that stretched along the border and over the whole five kilometer exclusion area, her husband Bill and brother-in-law Charlie right next to her. They'd been planning this for months, after making the hard decision to leave the biggest part of their family behind, and tonight was the night they would risk it. Bill had worked at this particular section of the border during his military service, thus he knew the patrol cycle rather well, giving them the advantage that might decide over success or failure.

Fleur held her breath as she heard the heavy footsteps of the two guards coming closer, and she knew that it was time. They'd been lying in the bushes for a good hour, to make sure that their timing would be perfect, and after this patrol was gone, they would move. Like the times before, Fleur was convinced that the two young guards had to hear her heart, as it was pumping hard in her chest, making the adrenaline rush through her veins.

But they walked by, their Kalashnikovs casually shouldered, oblivious of the three young people lying only a few meters away from them. Fleur nervously licked her lips as they walked away in a steady pace, turning her head to look at Bill, who would give them the signal.

Even though she'd been prepared, her heart still skipped a beat when Bill raised his fist, its shadow visible enough for Charlie and Fleur. All three jumped to their feet and sprinted towards the high chainlink fence, immediately throwing themselves flat onto the ground as they reached it. The beam of the searchlight glided past them, not completely reaching them, and Charlie and Bill used the pincers they'd brought to cut a hole into the fence, barely big enough for a human being to squeeze through it.

Bill crawled through it first, while Fleur shoved her long, blonde hair under the hood of her jumper just as Bill had told her – it could cost them precious seconds if her hair should get tangled. Then, she followed her husband, trying to move as quickly as possible while staying calm – this aspect had sounded so easy during the preparations, but now it proved to be more difficult than expected.

Charlie was nearly lying on her feet as he followed her through the hole, but at least it showed her that she wasn't the only one who was extremely nervous right now. They all knew what they had to do, and so they pushed themselves onto their feet, preparing for a very quick sprint across the wide, sandy area close to the watch towers. If they messed their timing up, the soldiers on the towers would see them, and that was something they wanted to avoid, for as long as possible.

From listening to the western radio stations they knew that the guards were allowed to shoot at any people that were not allowed to be in the frontier zone, and the thought of being shot at frightened Fleur to the bones. In the previous nights, she'd had nightmares, pictures of Bill and also Charlie, lying in puddles of their own blood, their dead eyes wide open. And in this moment, she had to shove these pictures away to concentrate properly; her hands were shaking and she balled them into fists, wanting her body to calm down.

Bill's signal took her slightly by surprise, but then she instantly moved, running as fast as she could across the broad area; from the corner of her eye, she could see the light coming closer, and she held her breath as she reached the other side, pressing herself against the second chain link fence. Below her, Charlie and Bill cut another hole into the fence and then gestured for her to go through, their gazes wandering around while Fleur squeezed herself through, a bad feeling spreading in her stomach.

For her liking, everything had went too smoothly so far, and she feared that problems were yet to occur. They were fleeing through the Iron Curtain, after all – nobody ever casually strolled out of the GDR, and she couldn't believe that nobody would notice them.

As if her thoughts had alerted the guards, the beam of the searchlight suddenly stopped, blinding Fleur and making her scream in shock.

"Don't move! Stop!" a voice echoed out of the speakers, and then, they heard the dogs barking, closer to their position as Fleur had thought. She was frozen in fear, staring into the darkness with wide eyes, asking herself if this would be the end.

"Charlie, Fleur, go!" Bill exclaimed right next to her, but it was as if she heard his voice from a far distance – muffled, quiet...

Charlie grabbed her by the arm and dragged her forwards; it took a few seconds until her feet reacted and she stumbled a few steps before she adjusted to Charlie's pace. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she heard the shots; bullets whizzed past her head as Charlie urged her to run faster towards the bank of the river. She could see the west from here; freedom was so close that she thought she could grasp it by stretching her arm, but reality showed her that it wasn't that easy.

Tears were stinging in her eyes; panic was taking over her body and the only thing that kept her from falling onto her knees was Charlie and his iron grip. A scream behind her startled her; Bill was cursing, his voice full of pain, and he yelled at them to run as Fleur tried to turn and see what was wrong.

Charlie and Fleur ran through the reed and seconds later, the cold water sloshed around their legs. The two of them threw themselves into the floods and swam for their lives, hearing the loud yells of the guards behind them and the shots; from time to time, bullets were hitting the surface close to them, but none of them hit their target.

Her lungs seemed to be on fire as she crawled onto the mud on the other side of the river, Charlie shoving her as she nearly broke down in exhaustion. Sitting down on the grass, panting, with burning muscles and dripping wet, Fleur squinted, trying to spot what was going on on the other side. She was shivering, and dry sobs escaped her as she realised that the black water of the Elbe was as flat as a mirror again, and that Bill was nowhere to be seen.

With a loud thud, she let herself fall backwards, not able to hold herself up anymore, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.

OoO

The following weeks seemed to flow by without Fleur really noticing.

After their flight, they'd been found by the Federal Border Guard and brought to a reception camp where they'd been provided with dry clothes and a warm meal. On the next day, they'd been questioned about their identities, as they hadn't brought their passports or any other personal belongings, but Fleur had barely been present mentally. All answers she'd given had been automatic, and she hadn't talked more than a few sentences apart from the official conversations.

The only thing she'd been able to think about was Bill.

Her husband, the man she loved... never had she considered the possibility that he wouldn't sit here with her. In all the scenarios she'd had in her mind while they'd planned their escape, they had shared their destiny – regardless if it had been success, prison or death.

But now, she was lying on her bed in the small room Charlie and she had been given, staring at the wall through her tears, feeling guilt and despair fill her. It didn't feel right for her to be free while her husband was in a prison now, convicted for Republikflucht and not knowing when he would be released. And even though she knew that it wasn't neither her nor Charlie's fault, she analysed every single minute of that night again and again, searching for something they'd screwed up. She needed anything that could tell her what had went wrong and why, she wanted an explanation, despite knowing that she wouldn't find a satisfying answer.

Charlie kept his distance from her, having to deal with guilt himself, and these hours she spent alone in their room were bittersweet. The loneliness was good to think about everything; she could properly concentrate and she could even close her eyes and imagine that she was lying next to Bill in their bed, and that he would soon get up to make her breakfast.

But the silence and the isolation were also a punishment for her that she did to herself. It didn't change anything, but it seemed like poetic justice to be alone and not enjoy all the things they'd fled for – the right to travel where ever you wanted, a sheer endless product variety and plenty.

She couldn't imagine how Bill had to feel right now, and whenever she tried to, she started to cry again, as the thought of her beloved Bill sitting in a prison cell made her heart ache. Again and again, she wished that she could turn back time and try to bring all of them to West Germany safely, no matter what it would take.

Fleur lost track about how many days she'd spent lying in her bed, barely eating anything and staring at the wall, trying to cope with all the things that had happened in that fateful night. And maybe she would have continued to lie there, had Charlie not gathered the courage to speak with her one afternoon.

The creak of her bed and the bending of the mattress as he sat down ripped her from her lethargy, and it seemed as if the hand he placed on her shoulder was the first warmth-providing gesture she'd felt since hugging Bill before they'd left the house for their escape. Slowly turning around, she looked up at him with tired and sad eyes, a shiver running down her spine as she saw his ginger hair and was immediately reminded of Bill.

"Hey," Charlie whispered, his voice sounding hoarse and shaky, as if he was extremely insecure about approaching her. "I... I was out shopping, bought a pineapple, and mango."

She could see his shoulders slump as she didn't show the excitement he'd probably expected from her upon mentioning the tropical fruits, and for his sake, she forced herself to smile, even though she didn't feel it at all. But as she didn't want to disappoint him, she took a piece of pineapple from the plate he'd placed on her nightstand and ate it. The sweet taste of the fruit was probably the most delicious one she'd ever experienced, but it didn't feel as good as she wanted it to.

Charlie too seemed to have noticed it, as he gave her a sad smile and whispered: "I know."

"I... I just feel so... guilty...," she breathed, tears starting to burn in her eyes and Charlie pulled her into an embrace, his warmth engulfing her and making her feel alive for the first time in weeks. It seemed like she'd forgotten the need for human contact, and now she didn't want him to let go. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her face into his chest, allowing herself to sob loudly as she knew that he would be holding her.

For minutes, Charlie was whispering comforting words into her ear, caressing her back to soothe her, and even after she stopped crying, they were embracing each other. They didn't need to talk; they both knew what the other felt, and they were also aware that they couldn't do anything to change it. Both were missing Bill, and felt guilty, and they only had each other now.

Fleur sniffled after some time, pulling back far enough to look him in the eye, glad to see the promise to never leave her alone in his blue eyes.

She didn't know how it happened, but suddenly she was kissing him, craving for closeness and comfort, desperate to feel something, _anything_ beside the numbness that had taken over her body and mind. And for a moment, she truly felt alive again; as if she hadn't just left her whole life behind her.

OoO

After the kiss, Charlie and Fleur had tried to act as if it had never happened; they'd agreed on calling it a little accident, as they'd both been depressed and feeling lonely, craving for closeness. For some time, Fleur even believed that it had been just that: something they wouldn't repeat, something that had just been triggered by miserable feelings.

However, in the following weeks, she became aware of how much their relationship seemed to change with every passing day, with every minute they were spending together. Back home, they had never done anything without Bill, but now, he wasn't there, and Fleur sometimes caught herself forgetting that Bill had been ripped from their little group. It happened especially in those moments where Charlie provided comfort and did small things to cheer her up and get her out of bed.

She felt guilty for enjoying Charlie's presence so much, but she didn't want to keep her distance either – after all, he was the only one she had left.

They were allowed to leave the reception camp after about three months and they found that it was a difficult to decide where they should move, now that they could go where ever they wanted. After some time and long discussions bent over a map, they decided on an island in the Baltic Sea – Fleur had never seen the ocean before, and Charlie, who'd been in the Navy during his military service, was eager to show it to her. From there, they would also be able to start all the travels they had been dreaming of – Sweden, Denmark, Norway... countries in which you could drive for hours without seeing someone, and where you could camp in the wilderness without being suspicious.

They received help to find a place to stay, and faster than Fleur would have thought, they were sitting on the train to the north.

Staring out of the window, she felt guilty once again – they were hesitantly beginning to build their new life and plan a future, excluding him. As if he'd never been part of the flight, as if he'd voluntarily chosen to stay in the GDR like the rest of the family.

Charlie seemed to sense her inner turmoil, as he gently wrapped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his chest. In this moment, Fleur was just unbelievably glad that at least he was with her, that she wasn't alone in this country that overwhelmed her a little bit. He was her anchor in the raging sea of new things that were plunging down at her, keeping her from drifting away and losing herself in a world that was completely new to her and so endless and wide that it scared her.

Many hours later, she was standing at the beach; a strong wind was blowing, making her long, blonde hair fly around her head. Her gaze was fixed on the waves that were crashing onto the sand, spray hitting her and Charlie, and she found that it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever experienced.

And for a moment, she wished she was a gull, able to take flight and soar through the air; flying wherever she wanted sounded wonderful.

Her heart was feeling heavy once again, and Charlie took her hand, squeezing it slightly, as if to say that he would fly with her.

OoO

It was difficult to adapt to their new environment, but working helped them both a lot. Charlie had found a job in one of the harbours of the island, helping to repair boats, and Fleur was working as a waitress in a seafood restaurant, starting to feel a lot better the more people she had contact with.

However, in the end, they both ended up alone in the little flat they shared, dealing with the feeling of guilt, which never seemed to go away.

During some nights, Fleur wouldn't sleep, she just cried until the morning dawned, and Charlie, hearing her through the wall, would come over and hold her. This continued, night for night, and one day, they just went to sleep together in the evening. It felt so good to be not sleeping alone, even though she knew that it wasn't Bill who was snoring next to her. Charlie smelled differently, felt different when he held her close... and with the time Fleur noticed that she forgot how it had been to cuddle with Bill.

And when they kissed one morning, both still a little bit dazed from sleep, she realised that this was what she'd been craving for. His touch as he undressed her felt wonderful, as if he was bringing her back to life, and she soon found herself addicted by it.

In the mornings, she would regret what she'd done – she loved Bill, he was her husband – but in the evenings, she would still pull Charlie into her bed, knowing that he was Charlie and not Bill.

OoO

A whispered 'I love you' under the sheets one night changed everything; until that very day, they'd tried to deny the truth and play these gestures of affection down. But it wasn't an affair anymore, and maybe it had never truly been. The thought scared Fleur, and she felt like she was betraying Bill, but she also had to think of herself now. Life was going on, it didn't stop, and the truth was that she loved Charlie.

The night the GDR announced that it would open its borders came as a surprise for Fleur and Charlie. Of course, everyone had seen the signs that the GDR was going down, but they'd never thought that it would happen so suddenly.

Until that November night in 1989, over two years after their flight into the west, they'd given up the hope that they would ever see Bill again and had continued to live their lives. They'd taken over a small farm in the east of the island, building a vacation farm for families there. The summer after their flight, they'd lent a car from one of Charlie's colleagues and had driven through Norway, camping on meadows and coming home with thousands of photos.

And now, as it was announced that every citizen of the GDR was allowed free travel, Fleur was sobbing in front of the television, her shaking hands caressing her round stomach. She knew that Bill, should he already been released from prison, would try to search for them, and find out that she hadn't waited for him. The realisation of her betrayal would break his heart, she knew that, and it was something she'd never intended to do.

In spring, Fleur and Charlie were just sitting in front of their house, Charlie holding their newborn daughter in his arms while Fleur was filling their teacups, when a battered Trabant drove up their cobblestone driveway. They immediately knew who was coming; Charlie's father Arthur was the owner of the car, and their smiles fell, just as the of Bill as he exited the car and saw the little family and how Fleur was bursting into tears.

The scene didn't need much explanation; it was obvious to Bill that his wife had moved on, together with his brother, and it was as if all his hopes were shattering once again, like they'd did in that one September night in 1987.


End file.
